A VERY YUGIOH! CHRISTMAS
by Ishuzu
Summary: Hey! Okay its been done but not like this! Enjoy! *CHAPTER EIGHT UP* Ishuzu=Isis which I've said before, but some don't read disclaimers
1. Christmas?

Me: Erm, yeah, so I need a disclaimer. Seto, will you say the disclaimer?  
  
Seto: *writing something* I'm busy!  
  
Me: Please! Yami only uses it to make me feel bad. *imitates Yami* "Julia is a loser who will never own Yu-Gi-Oh! no matter how much she wishes she did because she's not talented enough to write the shows anyway!"  
  
Seto: *laughs*  
  
Me: He DOES! *puppy dog eyes* Please!!  
  
Seto: Oh, alright.  
  
Me: Yay! ^^  
  
Seto: Julia doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh! But she'll always have me in her dreams!  
  
Me: Hee hee. I gotta dream more often. ^^ Anyway, hope you like!  
  
  
  
CHAPTER ONE  
  
"Oh! But he was tight-fisted hand at the grind stone, Scrooge! A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! Hard sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out a generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster" -A Christmas Carol  
  
A young man sat at his desk, alone, on Christmas Eve. His coffee brown hair hung in his electric blue eyes, causing the colors to mix and blend when the dim office light hit him. He was no older than seventeen, but his eyes showed his callous distaste for the world. His hand ran swiftly over paper after paper, signing his name in bold italics. His eyes flew over the pages as well, scanning them for the slightest detail that he had misread before. Read and sign. Read and sign. Read and sign. It was a bit tedious but, for some reason, he liked it. It maintained order for him, even on a night like this.  
  
Children ran about outside, their cheeks and noses rosy with the cold, and yet they did not care. They ran about calling a merry Christmas to their friends as they scurried home. Grown men were dancing about in the street, picking up their eager sons and daughters and carrying them home, laughing all the while. Women were cooking large meals, humming to themselves and calling their children in for dinner. Later, the families would all get together, friends would find each other, and everyone would gather those closest to them and spend Christmas Eve together. The young man sneered. This behavior, the laughter he heard ringing through the halls of his office building, the things he knew were going on outside; it all sickened him.  
  
"Mr. Kaiba?"  
  
Someone was calling him. Slowly, he looked up to face the lovely blond figure of his secretary.  
  
"Yes, Betsy."  
  
"You have a visitor"  
  
He scowled at his desk, "No visitors. I'm working"  
  
"Mr. Kaiba, Its your brother, sir"  
  
He grimaced, and leaned back in his chair, "Tell him I'm working."  
  
"He is very persistent, sir," Betsy's eyes tried to catch his, to capture what he was thinking, and to seal it in her own thoughts.  
  
He stared back, complete disbelief a slight flicker of boredom showing on his handsome young face. He was about to say something else to the woman, when Mokuba Kaiba pushed past her and lunged into the office.  
  
"Big Brother!" He grabbed Seto Kaiba around the waist, and hugged him tight. Seto flinched and reached down to touch his brother's head.  
  
"Big brother, guess what!"  
  
"What is it Mokuba? I'm working" The last word fell off of Seto's tongue in a hiss.  
  
"Yugi Motou is having a Christmas party and we're invited!" The young boy's eyes sparkled with happiness.  
  
Seto sneered, and turned away from his younger brother, "You know how I feel about Yugi Motou."  
  
"Aw, come ON, Seto" Mokuba tugged at Kaiba's jacket sleeve, and the elder pulled away.  
  
"No," Kaiba spoke curtly and turned to look at his brother, his eyes icy and cold.  
  
Mokuba took a step back. Why was his brother acting so. scary? He was slightly frightened, and tried to catch Seto's distant eyes.  
  
"Seto." the young boy's voice was soft and calm.  
  
The innocence of a child, Kaiba thought simply.  
  
"Mokuba, I have lots of work to do. Go home, and I'll see you tonight."  
  
"When are you coming home?"  
  
Kaiba took in a deep breath. His brother was trying his patience and tonight, of all nights, wasn't the best time for that.  
  
"I'll be home in a little bit. Now, go. Tell Betsy I said to call the limo around for you."  
  
Mokuba sighed, shuffling his feet, "But Seto. it. its Christmas."  
  
Seto turned slowly and looked down at the younger Kaiba. He stared at his brother, one word tumbling from his lips in a dull murmur of disbelief and ice, "Christmas?"  
  
Mokuba didn't look up at his brother, knowing very well that a speech was about to come. He braced himself for Kaiba's harsh voice and icy eyes, when someone walked inside.  
  
"M-Mister Kaiba?" Betsy was in the door way again. Seto ran his tongue over his teeth, irritated by how she seemed to always barge in at the most inappropriate times.  
  
"Yessssss?" He turned toward her, but instead saw Joey and Tristin push their way past her and into the office. Seto's eyes widened in frustration and disbelief.  
  
"Hey, Kaiba!" Joey bounded into the room like a golden retriever and punched Seto in the arm. Seto drew back, disgusted.  
  
"We're collecting money for the needy children in the city," Tristin held up a coffee can filled with change and shook it under Kaiba's nose, "'Tis the season!"  
  
Seto's upper lip curled. Mokuba gulped, the subtle sound of a boy's repressed fears echoing through the silence.  
  
"How much do ya wanna give, Kaiba?" Joey spoke first because he decided that no one else would.  
  
"After all," Tristin butted in with the coffee can again, "You're pretty stinkin' rich, so we figured that you'd be the one to donate the most!"  
  
Seto stared. Had their brains turned to month-old Jell-O? Who did they think he was?  
  
Seto sat down at his desk, and produced a pen. He continued to write as his brother, his secretary, and the two boys watched.  
  
"Uh." Joey broke the silence again, "Ya know, Kaiba, we've got more places to go. So."  
  
"He wants to donate!" The shrill cry of the young boy startled all in the room, especially Seto, "He wants to donate!"  
  
Mokuba jumped over to Joey and Tristin, and stared anxiously up at them, "He is the last true humanitarian! Why, he told me just this morning that he wanted to start his own drive for the homeless!"  
  
"Mo-ku-BA!" Seto hissed at his brother, hoping he would back down.  
  
"I mean, they have a point! We are rich, right, Seto?"  
  
You could practically see the steam flowing out of Seto's ears. He shot a stony look at his brother, one he usually used when he was about to fire someone. He picked up his pen and scratched furiously on his paper.  
  
"So. um. how much do ya wanna give?" Joey asked this question again.  
  
"I want to be left alone," Seto's voice was bitter, like the biting frost that littered the trees.  
  
"Erm." Tristin tried to catch Seto's eye, failing miserably, "So, you won't give us anything?"  
  
Silence.  
  
"But, Seto, its CHRISTMAS!" Mokuba, once again, tried his brother's patience that day. Then, it finally snapped.  
  
Seto stood, pushing over a few stacks of papers so that they came crashing to the floor, and stared into the eyes of everyone in the room, his own burning with an angry fire that pierced their hearts, "Christmas? Christmas? If I hear that word from the lips of anyone in this office again, that man shall be stuffed and cooked with his own turkey, and placed in the ground with a stake of holly nailed to his coffin. I do not wish to donate for some charity. There are homes. There are poor houses. Have them go there. Or let them die on the streets, if they will not. It is a poor excuse to pick my pocket; for these pitiful excuses for human beings.  
  
"I do not wish to go to a party. They are expensive, pathetic, and boring. I do not wish to do any thing else but sit here, in my office, where I hoped I might have been able to get away from the entire holiday. There will be no objections."  
  
And with that, Seto sat back down and began to write again, his hand moving steadily over the crisp, white pages. Mokuba threw a glance at his brother over his shoulder as he, Joey, Tristin, and Betsy quietly exited the room. Seto was older in so many ways than he. But not just because he had been born first. It was something more.  
  
Mokuba caught up with Joey and Tristin and silently placed a five dollar bill into the coffee can. Joey smiled and ruffled Mokba's hair. But both he and Tristin seemed hollow in their thanks. Mokuba leaned forward and whispered to them, barely audible,  
  
"Can you give me a ride to Yugi's?"  
  
  
  
  
  
Me: Okay lame, right? Or was it good? It'll get better once the ghosts start to visit, I hope. Well, after writing for Kaiba, I'm kind of remembering someone who pissed me off. And I feel like saying something. I'll say that I used to have an intro to this but it got taken off by some loser with nothing else to do. I'll see the jerk who reported me in hell! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  
  
Seto: Seriously, she's not usually like this. Writing affects her, and I guess that reviewer did to.  
  
Me: *muttering inaudible phrases*  
  
Seto: Anyway, hoped you liked it, please review, and remember it will get better.  
  
Me: Yeah, I promise!  
  
Yami: Hey, where am I? I WANNA BE IN THE STORY!  
  
Me: Yeah, yeah. Later. *is working on her Drama monologue* Seto, come help me with this.  
  
Yami: *to Seto* Author's pet  
  
Seto: *grins*  
  
Hope you liked. Please review. 


	2. Gozaburo's Ghost

Me: *sleeping* Potatoes! Dreamin' about my favorite food. Pooooohhh- taaaaaaay-tooooooooohhhhhs!  
  
Seto: *sighs* *shakes her awake*  
  
Me: I-I- I WASN'T SLEEPING! Just. resting my eyes.  
  
Seto: *shakes head*  
  
Me: Erm. well. Yeah. I hope you enjoyed the first chappie of A Very Yu-Gi- Oh! Christmas Carol. Like I said, this chapter should be better. Lets hope.  
  
Seto: She has asked me to, again, say the disclaimer. Julia does not own Yu- Gi-Oh! She does not own A Christmas Carol. As a matter of fact, she doesn't even own her penname.  
  
Me: *sobs* ITS TRUE!!! ITS SO TRUE!!!!  
  
Seto: *rolls eyes* Yeah. Anyway, enjoy the second chapter of A Very Yu-Gi- Oh! Christmas Carol.  
  
Me: PS I'm a god-forsaken dubbie, so Isis is Ishuzu and Jounochi is Joey and so on. I just figured I'd tell you ISHUZU IS ISIS! Which you probably already know but, just to make sure.  
  
Seto: Let them read the story now.  
  
Me: Kay! ^^ *glomps him*  
  
  
  
CHAPTER TWO  
  
"Marley was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the story I am going to relate" -A Christmas Carol  
  
Seto closed his eyes, and opened them quickly, wincing. He had been working so long; his eyes had gotten hot and, thusly, scalded his eye lids. He blinked a few more times, prepared, and let himself relax. He then stood, and walked to the liquor cabinet in his office. He looked through the bottles, wondering how one man could have possibly kept so many faceless companions with him for so long. But it wasn't like Seto could ask Gozaburo. The old man, his old boss, was dead. Seto sneered and poured himself a glass of water.  
  
He sat back down at his desk, and suddenly got a sensation. He was all alone, in his cold and dark office. The others had gone home, and Betsy had left an hour ago to pick up her cousin. He scowled. It wasn't that he didn't like working late. It was just the fact that he was the only one doing it. Betsy would have been happy to stay there with him under any other circumstances, but tonight was Christmas. She hadn't said it, and neither had he, but she needed to leave for the sake of her Christmas holiday.  
  
He reclined in his chair, and once again, thought of Gozaburo Kaiba. The man who had adopted he and his brother. The man who spurned him, treating him harshly, hoping to teach him about the cutthroat, competitive world of business. The man Seto himself had threatened to push out an eleventh story window.  
  
But he was dead, and there wasn't any more to say about that.  
  
Seto began to write again, the only sound he could hear was his pen scratching. Echoing, pumping through the halls of the building, the pen made a haunting sound. It was like fingernails across a black board. Echoing, reverberating, screaming; shaking the walls. Seto thought he might go insane, and yet he could not lift his pen from the paper. And slowly the noise got louder and louder, shattering the silence and the stillness, driving him mad.  
  
Then, suddenly, the room went completely dark, and he was able to stop. He stood and, in his haste, knocked over his glass of water and heard it fall softly onto the blue carpet. He winced, and listened.  
  
"Who's there?" His own voice surprised him. So deep and menacing he sounded. He walked tentatively toward the door, and fumbled for a light switch. He flipped it upward, and, with more relief then he had felt in a long time, saw the room glow into focus.  
  
Why had he been so afraid? It was only the lights. Anything could have happened to the switch. Why had he been so afraid?  
  
He decided he had been alone too long. He turned, letting out a deep breath, and focused back on his desk. What he saw there made him scream.  
  
Standing at his desk was a man. But he was not. His eyes were gone; his nose had decayed into dust. He wore a beige business suit that was ragged at the sleeves and his fingers were rotting at the tips. However, for some reason Seto never understood, when he smiled, he still had all of his teeth.  
  
"Hello, Seto," A deep voice erupted from the man.  
  
Seto trembled and tried to focus. He was going insane. He was insane. He blinked furiously, trying to blot out the image of the dead man he saw at his desk. But he couldn't, so he spoke to it.  
  
"G-Gozaburo?"  
  
The man smiled again and a cold shock hit Seto.  
  
"I'm glad to see you remember," the ghost looked at him. And yet he didn't. Seto realized with an unnerving, pulsing shiver that Gozaburo was looking through him.  
  
"What do you want?" Seto was surprised that his voice still worked.  
  
"I came to see the old office," Gozaburo passed his adopted son, and walked to the liquor cabinet. Seto blinked harshly at the smell that wafted after him.  
  
"Ah, I see you kept them," Gozburo reached into the cabinet, and pulled out a bottle of bourbon, "You haven't been taking any yourself, now, have you, Seto? Not old enough, you know." Gozaburo produced a glass and poured some of the liquid into it.  
  
Seto did not reply. He was beginning to wonder what he was so afraid of. This man was dead, had been for years. Why was he afraid of a memory?  
  
"I have some business with you, young Seto," Gozaburo turned and looked back at Seto. He smiled again.  
  
"Go on, then," Seto's eyes were violent ocean storms, the kind sailors feared.  
  
Gozaburo turned back to the bourbon. He took a drink and swished it in his mouth for a few seconds before swallowing.  
  
"A very good year," he said, pointing to the bottle, "You don't know how long its been." He turned around and looked back at Seto. He shook his head in bewilderment.  
  
"You have grown, my boy. Taller, thinner. But not just that. Older. Yes, that's it. Except, not like normal children growing into adults. You're older in that sense of having seen things and done things. Business will do that to you, huh?" He laughed, the sound hollow and frightening, "I told you all that stuff I put you through was for your own good."  
  
"You can't hurt me."  
  
Gozaburo stopped smiling and turned to stare at his successor, "What, boy?"  
  
"You can't hurt me," Seto replied, his fists clenched, "You're not real. I went to your funeral. I watched them bury you. I. I watched you die."  
  
"Yes," Gozaburo stated thoughtfully.  
  
"You're not there," Seto continued, "I've been working too late. I'm tired. I should go home. You're. You're just something I dreamed up while I was sitting there. You're the result of working late on an empty stomach."  
  
Gozaburo walked toward him as he spoke, and, once he reached the young man, put his decaying hand around Seto's throat. Seto's words choked off, and he clawed uselessly at the hand that stopped his breath.  
  
"Does this feel like a dream to you?"  
  
Seto sputtered and grabbed Gozaburo's wrist. He couldn't breath and all the air he had taken for granted was suddenly cut from him. His hands ran helplessly over Gozaburo's rotting flesh.  
  
"THE QUESTION! SETO!" He lifted the young boy off the ground and Seto's face flushed pink, "WAS. 'Does this feel like a dream to you?"  
  
Seto felt the grip around his throat loosen and he shook his head violently. Gozaburo dropped him, lying in a heap, on the carpet.  
  
"I didn't think so."  
  
Seto began to cough, his voice still lost to him, but soon his breathing came in, heavy and harsh, but he was breathing.  
  
Gozaburo lifted his glass, and squinted at the bourbon, "To you." He drank deeply.  
  
Seto stood, using his desk for support and finally managed to choke out the words,  
  
"What. do. you want?"  
  
Gozaburo smiled again and Seto shivered involuntarily. Deep shudders from within racked his fragile body and he almost collapsed once more, but the desk held him up.  
  
Standing there, with a glass of bourbon in one rotting hand, smiling in a way no man should have ever smiled, living or dead, Gozaburo walked toward his successor and leaned close to him,  
  
"Look at me, Seto. I am a rotting corpse! I am dead and I can't even get a moment of peace! This!" He held up the bourbon, "I lied! I can't taste it! I am the walking dead and being this way is a living hell! And that's where I'm going after I leave you, boy. Back to hell. Where I belong."  
  
He backed away from the boy, "I was so powerful when I was living. Men feared me, women adored me!"  
  
Seto's coarse laugh pierced Gozaburo's lament. The young man's voice was scratchy and horse but he managed to curtly choke out,  
  
"Hah! Lets be honest, Gozaburo! You PAID for the women!"  
  
Gozaburo's eyes narrowed, "Is this a joke to you? I could have snapped your neck, boy, and you would have spent the rest of your after life with me. In hell. That's where you're headed, boy, and that's why I'm here."  
  
Seto laughed again, a disturbing sensation in his throat making him feel as if blood was bubbling from his lips, "Are you here to redeem me, Gozaburo?"  
  
Gozaburo smiled smugly without showing teeth, "Yes, Seto, I am. It's too late for me. But you can change. You can become what I should have wanted to be. You can be a good man. And your little brother will appreciate it."  
  
"What's Mokuba got-" Seto's own words cut him off. It was hard for him to talk. Everything was spinning.  
  
"Do you want him to grow up and be like me? Like you? Follow in our footsteps and become the uncaring, unfeeling iceberg we have both become. He will become what you are if you choose not to change."  
  
"I don't understand," Seto blinked, keeping focus as he spoke, "You were the best damn business man around. God knows I hated you, but people here still talk of you. You were a man, THE man, of business!"  
  
Gozaburo shattered the glass between his rotting fingers, "MANKIND SHOULD HAVE BEEN MY BUSINESS!!! Oh, Seto, you are in deep. But you can change. Tonight, you will be visited by three ghosts."  
  
Seto's eyes widened, "Ghosts? I think I've had enough of that for one night."  
  
"Expect the first at one o'clock tonight."  
  
Seto fought uselessly, like a wounded animal caught in a trap, "No, uh, one isn't good for me. Uh."  
  
Gozaburo let loose a bellow of rage and smacked his successor clean across the face. Seto felt the blood drip down his pale cheek.  
  
"One o'clock," Gozaburo spoke slowly, each word like a needle, "This is your last chance, Seto. Don't screw it up."  
  
And then he vanished.  
  
As soon as Gozaburo had gone, Seto felt an ocean of fear wash over him and he scrambled to the phone sitting on his desk. He madly punched in numbers and fell back against his chair. He felt possessed. The phone rang and it was on speaker when he heard her voice on the answering machine,  
  
"Hello, its Ishuzu. Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas! Yeah, sorry about that! I'm not in right now, so leave your message at the beep."  
  
The shrill sound of the answering machine BEEP! brought him back. He scrambled madly, picked up the phone, and began to speak.  
  
"Ishuzu? Its Seto. I think. something happened," He looked around. The floor was spotless, the glass was gone, and the cabinet was closed.  
  
"Or. maybe not. I don't know. Look, I know its been. awhile since we talked, but, uh, please call me." He hung up the phone, grabbed his coat, and fled the office.  
  
  
  
Me: Yay! Hope that was better than the first chapter.  
  
Seto: That was creepy.  
  
Me: You were very brave. Sort of.  
  
Seto: At least I didn't crawl into the corner and sit in a fetal position, mumbling incoherently.  
  
Me: There's that. So I guess you were brave.  
  
Seto: Yeah! Cool!  
  
Me: Okay, if you didn't think that sounded like Ishuzu/Isis, uhm that's the Ishuzu/Isis I know. And by the way, in this story, she IS Ishuzu. I just made her more American and stuff cause, well, to me, she'll always be my way-cooler, Egyptian-alter ego. *sigh*  
  
Seto: Well think of it this way: At least I didn't call SERENITY at eleven at night after the ghost of my dead adoptive father visited me!  
  
Me: *like Bill Murray in "Caddie Shack"* So. at least. I got that going for me.  
  
Seto: Please R&R  
  
Me: You know what would be cool? *still doing Bill Murray* If we got a review from. the Dalai Lama.  
  
Seto: Right. 


	3. Midnight Phone Call, Midnight Visit

Me: Oh, YAY! Reviews! Yay! ^^ *dances*  
  
Seto: Chill out, Julia! *grabs her around the waist to keep her firmly in place* She thanks you for the reviews.  
  
Me: YEAH! To all my reviewers and to Katharine, Olivia, and Camellia, whom I know! And to the "Dalai Llama". (Thanks, Camellia!)  
  
Seto: *still holding her, spins her around so that they're looking at each other* Wait, you got a review from the Dalai Llama?  
  
Me: As far as you know.  
  
Seto: Erm. on with chapter 3!  
  
Me: Uh. Seto. not that I mind it or anything, but I gotta tell the story and you're kinda keeping me here. *looks at his hand around her waist*  
  
Seto: Oh.  
  
Me: *trying to fight the urge* Uhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmm.... Oh, you guys are on your own! See you at the end of the chapter! *glomps Seto*  
  
  
  
CHAPTER 3  
  
"He was not alone, but sat by the side of a fair young girl in mourning- dress; in whose eyes there were tears, which sparkled in the light of the Ghost of Christmas Past" -A Christmas Carol  
  
The wind blew Seto inside his lavish house. He put his briefcase down slowly, as not to wake Mokuba. Tentatively, he looked around the room, and, seeing that the lights were off, he confirmed his suspicions that his brother was already tucked into bed, and ascended the long staircase.  
  
When he got to his room at the end of the hall, he realized that his breathing was still abnormal, and he took a few deep breaths. The house was so cold, he watched his breath come out in tiny clouds. He shivered. But the cold was cheaper and he didn't mind it. He remembered being asked when he was ten if he'd rather freeze to death or burn to death. He still chose freeze silently to himself sometimes.  
  
He undressed quickly and got into bed. By now, his eyes had adjusted to the dark and he began to close them. He was sinking, far away, from everything that had happened, and had almost reached a light state of sleeping, when the phone rang. It jolted him awake, and he opened his eyes wide. Scrambling over to the phone, Seto groped about in the dark room until he reached it. He lifted the receiver to his ear and curtly stated,  
  
"Kaiba."  
  
"Even at twelve-thirty AM, you never fail to be snappish, Seto."  
  
He fell off the bed, as soon as she said his name. He tried to sit up, collapsed, and attempted it once more. He leaned against the bed, and took another deep breath. They hadn't spoken in four years, and her voice was still as beautiful as he remembered. Like some kind of expensive dark chocolate.  
  
He cleared his throat, "Hello, Ishuzu."  
  
"Hello, yourself!" He could almost see her, sitting at her kitchen table, the phone curled around one slender finger, a secret smile lighting up her face, "You called and left that message, and scared me out of my wits! You sounded like you had seen a ghost!"  
  
Seto paused, and let himself breathe again, "Well, I'm fine, now. I don't know why I called you in the first place."  
  
"Oh, I think I know!" She giggled slightly, "After all, it is Christmas. You're sitting there at your big desk, a stack of papers to go through, your pen in one hand, feeling a little lonely. And so you start to think about the one who got away, the one you realized you should have never let go, the one you now know you truly love. And, by mistake, you called me."  
  
Seto grinned. She had always been like this, leading him on. It was one of the things he had liked about her. Sometimes, when they had been together, he had watched her talk, or stared into her eyes as she watched back with her slightly reserved, yet "come hither" look, he had just wanted to take her into his arms, wherever they were, and kiss her for the longest time. And, on most occasions, he did. But now, it was a distant memory, so he smiled slightly, and listened to her dark chocolate voice float to his ears from the receiver.  
  
"That's too bad," he continued to smile as he spoke softly; "I really would like to know which girl I shouldn't have let go."  
  
There was a pause, and they were both silent. Then he heard her say,  
  
"What happened tonight, Seto?"  
  
He opened his mouth, wanting to say everything, wanting to tell her about seeing Gozaburo's ghost, and about how he, Seto Kaiba, had been truly terrified. But he didn't.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"You sounded so scared. Why else would you have called me?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Seto, I've known you long enough to be able to tell when you're asking for help. Come on, just tell me."  
  
"Why won't you just leave me alone?" His own voice surprised him for the second time that night. And the ice in it surprised her too.  
  
"Well, you were the one who called me!"  
  
"Look, don't worry about me, okay," his upper lip curled as he spoke in sharp tones, "I was just fine, and I don't need you to come and make everything better! I've gone without you for four years; I think I can take one more night!"  
  
"Well, God, Seto! I should have known you would still be yourself, its not like you'd ever change!"  
  
"Same old Ishuzu," he stated mockingly, "Still with her head in the clouds!"  
  
"And you'll always be alone on earth."  
  
He paused, "I don't need this."  
  
"Then next time, don't call me and tell me you need me because I will not believe you. Merry Christmas."  
  
Seto sat against his dark blue bedspread, his mouth curled in disgust, as he listened to the wind outside and the cold hum of the dial tone against his ear.  
  
  
  
He tossed and turned, fighting the cobwebs of a nightmare-filled sleep. He was having so much trouble getting just a little peace in this place. He stopped moving and opened one eye, looking at his digital clock. It was one in the morning. He waited for a minute, then two, then three. Nothing happened. He groaned and rolled over just as the entire room filled with an unearthly light.  
  
Seto Kaiba fell out of bed for the second time that night. He collapsed on the floor and groaned again. He paused, letting his eyes adjust to the bright light, and those same eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw who was floating five feet of the ground, the center of the light, in front of him.  
  
It was a short, old man, his eyes smiling, his black bandana pulled tightly over his silver hair. He beamed when he smiled at Seto and he wore overalls and a t-shirt.  
  
Seto's face melted to a look of disgust, "Mr. Motou?"  
  
"I AM THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST!" the figure stated, his smile turning into a look of distaste and annoyance, "I am NOT who you think I am?"  
  
"But-But," Seto tried to stand and finally succeeded, "You're Yugi Motou's- "  
  
"I don't want to hear anything of the sort!" spat "the Ghost of Christmas Past".  
  
"I still don't think. I've GOT to be dreaming!"  
  
"C'mon, Ritchie Rich!" grinned "the Ghost of Christmas Past", "We're goin' somewhere!"  
  
Seto did not like the sound of this. He grabbed a robe that was lying on the chair next to his bed. He wrapped it around himself, and tried to protest.  
  
"Look, I have to get up early in the morning, so lets not and say we did, okay-"  
  
He was promptly cut off when the "Ghost of Christmas Past" grabbed his arm and jumped out the three story window. Seto figured that he was going to die, and pondered the sad situation: He was going to meet his maker, by jumping out his window with a "ghost" that looked a helluvalot like Yugi Motou's Grandfather, and then he'd spend the rest of eternity being flicked around by Gozaburo. Such is life!  
  
But they didn't fall. And he didn't die. They began to fly, off toward the silver moon, and Seto watched in amazement as the houses below him got smaller and smaller, until his own disappeared over the horizon.  
  
  
  
Me: hey, that was a little bit shorter than I would have liked, but this is gonna be kind of a long chapter. Did you like the Ishuzu/Seto conversation? I love them! They're such a good couple! ^^  
  
Seto: You only like us together cause she's your (MUST we say it again) Egyptian alter-ego.  
  
Me: Hey, I can dream, can't I? Wow, it's getting a lot closer to Christmas. I hope I'll be able to finish this in time! Please review, it gives me motivation!  
  
Yugi's Grandpa: I'LL give you MOTIVATION! *shakes fist threateningly* Why am I the Ghost of Christmas Past?!?!?  
  
Me: Well it worked with the story.  
  
Grandpa Motou: You're SICK! That ghost is supposed to be a KID!!!  
  
Seto: *grabs Me protectively* Hey, BACK OFF, man!  
  
Me: *melt!*  
  
Grandpa Motou: Fine, fine, but DON'T THINK I'M NOT PISSED ABOUT THIS!!!!!!  
  
Me: ............. I want some sushi!  
  
Seto: Yeah, sushi! *both run off to get sushi*  
  
Grandpa Motou: *mumbles something about a lawyer and death by piranhas as he skulks away*  
  
Sorry, that was lame. But some of it had to be done. Please review. 


	4. He's so much like her

Me: Man, only a few days til Christmas!  
  
Seto: Actually, its three.  
  
Me: THREE!?!?!?!?!?!??! I never keep track of time, I was just humoring the readers!!!!!!! THREE DAYS!!!!!! OH MY GOD, I'LL NEVER GET THIS STORY FINISHED IN TIME!!!!!!!!! AND NOBODY LIKES TO READ A CHRISTMAS STORY AFTER CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!  
  
Seto: *sweat drop* Erm... well, you still have your health.  
  
Me: *wails* I will NEVER be able to finish this! I've gotta sleep you know! Oh man! Why do I put work into things and never finish them?!?!?  
  
Yami: You'll live. After all, it wasn't very good anyway.  
  
Me: *moans and cries harder*  
  
Seto: I should have done this a while ago *punches Yami in the stomach*  
  
Yami: Oof! *drops to the ground*  
  
Me: Woe is me!  
  
Seto: *encouraging arm around my shoulder* C'mon, you can do this. Remember, its not about the hours or the work or the disappointment. Its for the readers.  
  
Me: You're right! I must go on! For the readers! *under breath* How corny am I? Oh well, at least I have motivation! *hugs the air out of Seto*  
  
Seto: *gack!*  
  
Me: On with the show!  
  
Chapter 4  
  
"He was conscious of a thousand odours floating in the air, each one connected with a thousand thoughts, and hopes, and joys, and cares, long, long forgotten!~" -A Christmas Carol  
  
  
  
Seto Kaiba lifted his head and blinked his bright blue eyes. He was standing on his own feet again, though they were shaking and he did not know how they could possibly hold him up. He looked around trying to fit things together. Where was he? Why wasn't he in bed? And why the hell was Yugi's grandpa beaming beside him? Then everything slowly sunk in, like water trickling through the sands of time. Time. Where was he?  
  
He saw before him a long hallway, white, and dim, and endless. There was a sign above it, glowing an eerie red, illuminating the spot where he stood. He looked up, not wanting to believe what it said. But he knew. The red letters. Pouring into him. Coming deep from inside his soul.  
  
EMERGENCY  
  
The "Ghost of Christmas Past" put a warm hand on Seto's shoulder.  
  
"You know where we are then."  
  
"yes." Seto's voice was soft and the word barely came out. He felt cold all over. He knew where he was. He knew.  
  
A nurse passed him, wishing a colleague a merry Christmas. Seto almost didn't hear their hurried conversation as he forced himself to walk. The "ghost" timidly floated beside him. His footsteps echoed only in his own ears as he walked icily down the hall. He passed countless rooms holding dying people, each one shivering as if a ghostly presence had left them in its wake. He continued to walk and finally slowed in front of one door. The golden number flashed under his unforgiving eyes.  
  
332  
  
He put his hand on the doorknob and he was immediately inside. He looked around, noticing the curtains drawn against the cold night, the flowers on the bedside table, the coat hanging on a chair like a limp, crumpled body, the cold and unimaginable silence.  
  
He heard a muffled sigh and his eyes shifted to the lone figure sitting at his left. It was a small boy, his feet dangling over the side of the chair, his eyes focused harshly on the window. The boy was small, no older than eight, his baby fat still not lost, but his innocence clearly shattered. He did not have the eyes of a normal boy, but that of a homicide victim, having seen things that no human should ever have to witness. He was a dying old man, in the body of a little boy.  
  
Seto's mouth parted softly as he stared at the child. He had not seen this boy in twelve years, and now, here he was, exactly how Seto had remembered him.  
  
The "ghost" spoke softly, as not to end the emotions that Seto was feeling.  
  
"Do you remember this boy, Seto?"  
  
"Yes," Seto swallowed his thoughts and feelings, and spoke with wonder,  
  
"That's me."  
  
"I want to speak to Seto."  
  
Seto whipped his head around, and suddenly fell back against the wall. He could feel his heart leaping into his throat and being torn in two at the same time.  
  
Lying in the hospital bed, with the face of an angel, the voice of the morning dew, and the smell of fresh cut roses, was his mother. Her hair fell upon the pillow in wispy, chocolate brown curls, and shone when they caught the dim light. Her hands were lying limp and useless on her stomach and the crisp, white sheets were pulled to her chin. She glowed. Like the "ghost" beside Seto, she glowed from an inner light. Her eyes were his, blue, bright and beautiful blue. And yet, he saw that hers were a blue and never ending sea. The ocean. Or the sky. And his were an unforgiving ice.  
  
She smiled at the younger version of himself, and the boy got up from the chair. Seto watched, his eyes glued to the rerun of his life.  
  
"Come up onto the bed with me."  
  
The boy hesitated, then climbed up next to his mother. His eyes did not lock with hers as she tried to do, and he turned away.  
  
"Look at me, my baby boy."  
  
The young Seto did not, continued to look away, away at the coat on the chair. She smiled again, biting back her tears.  
  
"Please look at me. I want to see your face."  
  
The boy finally turned and met his mother's gaze. She lit up again, her face even more angelic than before. She reached up, and stroked her son's cheek.  
  
"My baby."  
  
The boy looked through her for a time, but his face finally fell from an unemotional gaze to a weak and wavering expression of a little boy who knew he was about to lose something that meant the world to him.  
  
"Mama."  
  
He reached forward and tucked his small arms around his mother's neck. Let her stay with him, please, God, please don't take her away. He loves her, God, don't take her from him.  
  
Seto gripped the wall, and the "ghost" watched the boy as his mother broke their embrace.  
  
"Be good for your father, my boy. And stay the way you are. I love you." She began to speak slower, and she could feel that it was becoming increasingly harder to breathe.  
  
"I will always.... love you. And.... take care of your... brother. Take care of him.... because he needs you.. It's up to you..... Promise you'll take care of him...."  
  
The boy stared at his mother, and thought of his new born brother lying in the nursery. He wanted his mother to get up and wrap them both in her arms. He wanted her to stay. Why was his brother here, a new person for him to care for, and his mother was going. He was shaking. This wasn't fair. His baby brother stayed and his mother went away.  
  
"Seto..." The woman's voice was fading. She could feel her eyelids getting heavy, "Promise... me...."  
  
"I promise," the boy managed to say. His mother made an effort to smile again, lifted her son's hand, and kissed it gingerly. She let her head fall back on the pillow and her eyes closed.  
  
"Mama." The young Seto stared. She didn't move. "Mama." Nothing. "Mommy! Mommy!!" He grabbed her arm and shook in hard. "Mommy!!! Mommy!!! Mommy!!!" Her eyes stayed closed. The boy felt the strong arms of his father wrap around his waist and he was lifted off the bed. His father told him to wait outside. The boy tried to look back at his mother but he was ushered quickly out the door and it shut behind him.  
  
He knew the doctor was talking to his father. He knew that his father was nodding softly and trying not to look at his wife lying there in the bed. He knew his mother had died.  
  
Seto followed himself down the hall to the nursery. He and the boy both peered into the window at the boy lying asleep there. He was small and so innocent. He was Seto's younger brother, Mokuba, and Seto had promised to take care of him. The boy stared at this small baby and pressed his hand against the glass. He would take care of him. He would. He promised.  
  
Seto watched the boy run to the bathroom, and knew that he had fallen to his knees on the cold tile floor, and, there, he had vomited.  
  
"I love Mokuba," Seto clenched his fists, "I have always loved him, and I promise to always take care of him. I will never let him down. But when I look at him, especially now, during Christmas, I see my mother, smiling at me, dying, and wanting to tell me that she loved me, and that she wanted me to love my brother. I love him, but he's so much like her."  
  
And Seto closed his eyes, lowered his head, and slid down the wall to his knees on the floor of the hospital as the "Ghost of Christmas Past" watched him weep.  
  
  
  
  
  
Me: Hi. Hoped you liked it. Please review. 


	5. Chinese food, fruit cakes, and broken he...

Me: Okay, I've started this directly after writing Chapter Four, so I don't know how the last chapter went over. (i.e. I haven't gotten any reviews yet) I was listening to the Angel theme song, so I was feeling a little sad. Now, I'm gonna listen to love songs, like "Original Sin" by Elton John and "Babe" by Styx, and anti-love songs like "Rest in Peace" from Buffy and "Goodbye to You" by Michelle Branch to help me write this chapter. Not like you care, but, just for the record...  
  
Seto: To put in my review, I liked the last chapter. *smiles* Well done.  
  
Yami and Tom: I hated it!  
  
Me: That's IT!!!! *cartoon dust cloud*  
  
Seto: *pulls Me out* Hey, why are you gonna listen to love/anti-love songs? How will they help you write this chapter?  
  
Me: Oh... wouldn't you like to know.  
  
Seto: *starts to let go of her* Huh?  
  
Me: Heheheheh..  
  
Seto: So, are you feeling better *to readers* Writing sad stuff depresses her.  
  
Me: Well, now I'm listening to "Drawn to the Fire" from Buffy. Its cool, but if I really want to laugh, I listen to that stupid rap, Duel Madness.  
  
Seto: What's wrong with my rap song?  
  
Yami: Wake up, Kaiba. Its really lame. She's cracking up, and she only has forty-two seconds of it downloaded.  
  
Me: The best part is listening to you go, "Virtual systems ready." *cracks up*  
  
Seto: *turns red*  
  
Me: Download Kaiba's rap, Duel Madness. It's funny as hell, and better than watching Yami eat cheese balls. But enough. This intro has gone on way too long. See you at the end of the chapter.  
  
*PS To Setorulez, more "Scrooged" shades in this chapter! (couldn't help it!)*  
  
  
  
CHAPTER FIVE  
  
"It matters little," she said softly, "To you very little. Another idol has displaced me; and if it can cheer and comfort you in time to come as I would have tried to do. I have no just cause to grieve."  
  
"What idol has displaced you?" he rejoined.  
  
"A golden one." - A Christmas Carol  
  
  
  
  
  
Seto lifted his head once more and saw that he was standing in a room where everyone was celebrating. A Christmas party raged on in front of him, and he stood quickly, pushing back his tears.  
  
He suddenly felt the ache leave him as he stared at the people running around him. He had always been good at suppressing his feelings. He didn't know what had happened to him back in the hospital. He stood up straight, and, again, was taken aback as he saw himself enter the room.  
  
He knew this version of Seto Kaiba, and wasn't such a stranger toward him. Young, moody, tall, dark, and handsome. Still, watching himself four years younger enter the same room he knew for a fact that he was in still did not sit right.  
  
The four-year-younger Seto walked across the room, holding a stack of papers and looking tired. Another man came up to him, quite drunk, and clapped him on the back.  
  
"Thomas Jones," Seto spoke to the "Ghost of Christmas Past", his lips curling into a grin, "A friend in the workplace, I suppose.... And... I fired him after Gozaburo died." The "ghost" nodded slowly, not surprised, and they watched Thomas laugh and say to the younger Seto.  
  
"C'mon, Seto! Join the party! Woo!" He jumped up and smacked young Seto on the shoulder a second time. Young Seto smiled half smiled, and turned away from Thomas.  
  
"Sorry, but... I've got to go, you know."  
  
"Yeah, okay, whatever.." Thomas threw his arm in the air, getting the attention of everyone in the room, "Seto Kaiba: Workaholic, and complete party pooper!"  
  
"Yeah, thanks, Tom." Young Seto shook his head embarrassed. Suddenly his arm had latched around another, silky and powdery white. He looked down at a perky blonde that seemed to have permanently attached herself to him.  
  
"Well, if ya got nothing to do, we can go for some Chinese food.."  
  
Young Seto freed himself from the girl, mumbling something about hating Chinese and did she know it was bad for her?  
  
Seto, standing in the back of the room with the "Ghost of Christmas Past", let his jaw fall wide open as he watched his former self pass him. He never had much to do with romance but he defiantly wouldn't have passed up a time with that little side dish!  
  
"What are you DOING?!" Seto cried watching himself walk out of the office, "Get back IN there!!!"  
  
The "Ghost of Christmas Past" tapped him on the shoulder and shook his head lightly, "Not that one." He pointed outside, at the swirling snow, the young businessman, and the pretty figure walking toward him.  
  
"This one."  
  
Young Seto stopped in the street and stared at the girl across from him.  
  
"Ishuzu, right?"  
  
She smiled.  
  
"Seto Kaiba. How are you?"  
  
Young Seto shrugged, "I can't complain."  
  
Ishuzu let her face light up under a playful smirk. She was wearing a beige trench coat, buttoned all the way to her long, slender neck, and a pair of long black dress pants. She wasn't wearing a hat, so the mild snow caught in her shimmering ebony hair, and the ice bit at her lips and cheeks, which were all bright red.  
  
She looked up, letting her eyes lock with his. He wasn't used to this, and took a step back. After all, everyone knew that after Gozaburo kicked, he would be the most wealthy and most powerful businessman in the city. There were even rumors that he was really running the company, and that the Gozaburo was just there for show. Usually, this discouraged people from looking at him. But she didn't seem to be bothered by this and her completely alive forest green eyes almost challenged his own moody, ice ones. This enticed him.  
  
He stepped forward, "Are you doing anything tonight? There's a Christmas party going on inside." He pointed to his office. He hadn't wanted to stay there at all, and yet, this was different.  
  
"I-I'd rather not," she smiled politely. And with that, she turned away from the young Seto Kaiba and started to walk away.  
  
"No! Ishuzu, wait!" He, Seto Kaiba, the guy who refused to go near the snow for fear he may get sick and catch pneumonia from the cold and germs, sloshed into the slush-filled street and chased after the girl who would someday own his heart  
  
She turned around, her lips curling slightly into an obviously devious grin, "......Do you want to go get some Chinese food?"  
  
  
  
Seto suddenly found himself in a cozy apartment he knew well. There was a softly glowing Christmas tree in the corner of the living room and a few presents were arranged underneath. There was a tiny couch and an end table with a shabby looking lamp. And as he looked around that room, Seto realized that he would rather have this pathetic excuse for a living space than all the mansions he owned. The "Ghost of Christmas Past" took notice to his face, showing his remorse, and he put a hand on Seto's shoulder.  
  
Young Seto walked into the room once more, and laughed at the gifts under the tree.  
  
"Ishuzu!!"  
  
"Yes?" Seto heard her voice from the bathroom and his heart tied itself in knots once again.  
  
"Gozaburo still didn't send me anything!"  
  
There was a pause.  
  
"Oh, Seto! Hang on..." There was the noise of water sloshing around as she could bee heard getting out of the bathtub. The "Ghost of Christmas Past" smiled evilly and placed his hand on the door. Seto's eyes got as big as dinner plates, and he shoved the "Ghost" away from the door.  
  
"What do you think you're DOING?!" he sneered. The "Ghost" laughed and clasped his hands together, rocked back and forth, and whistled innocently.  
  
Ishuzu came out of the bathroom wearing a fuzzy white cotton robe. She tied the sash and walked over to the young Seto, and put a hand on his shoulder. The younger Kaiba slipped an arm around Ishuzu's waist and grinned half- heartedly.  
  
Seto watched them together, and they sat down on the dilapidated couch. His eyes were so distant as he watched the younger couple. The "Ghost" watched him, waiting for a reaction.  
  
Seto laughed a little, and placed a hand in front of his mouth, "Whenever she wore that robe, I wanted to jump her."  
  
The "Ghost's" lips formed into a slow smile, and the two watched as the everyday boy and girl started to have a conversation.  
  
"Seto, I'm sorry that your father does not treat you well. I do understand why you were so eager to move out and in with me. I only wish we could have brought Mokuba with us."  
  
"I know," Seto wove his fingers with hers, "But he'll be fine. After all, its not Mokuba that Gozaburo treats harshly. Its always been me. I needed to get out of there, but I also knew he'd be safe...." Seto's eyes locked with hers, "You're my savior, Ishuzu. No one's ever been this kind to me in my whole life. You have made me feel like I don't need to run from the world. I love you."  
  
Her face, angelic and wondrous in this realization, was both touched and relieved, "I love you, too, Seto."  
  
The young Kaiba grinned, "And besides which, if Mokuba was here, I couldn't do this!!" That said, he scooped up the astounded girl beside him and stood with her in his arms. He began to caress her cheek with his free hand and placed his lips softly on her neck. She closed her eyes and began to say something.  
  
"Set-"  
  
"Not now. I'm on a roll!" And he spun around and carried her into the next room. She screamed playfully and he laughed, his dark hair falling feathery over his eyes. They reached her room and they disappeared behind the door.  
  
Seto watched, a smile playing at his lips, "She was trying to tell me that the fruitcake would burn. And it did, which neither of us minded very much, because who likes fruitcake anyway?" He laughed, "When she asked me what we should do with it, I said we should go to Gozaburo's mansion and throw it at his windows. She threw it in the trash can, and we went back to bed."  
  
The "Ghost" smiled, "There was, of course, another Christmas with this young woman."  
  
Seto turned and his smile faded, "No. Please. Don't show me that Christmas. Please."  
  
  
  
"Seto, I think you have changed."  
  
"Changed? Well, I'm the head of a company now, if that's what you mean."  
  
"No. You're not the man you were. You're not the one I fell in love with."  
  
It was a hard, dull blow that hit Seto in the stomach, and fizzled all the way to his fingers and toes, "What?"  
  
"What's wrong with this apartment? Why do we have to move out? You know it's the only real home I've ever known. And do you give me any input? We're moving to a MANSION, Seto?"  
  
"I told you," he crossed the room and took her hands, "I'm now the head of KaibaCorp. Gozaburo finally bit the dust, and I am to take his place. Now, because I finally get to become something, you say you don't love me anymore?"  
  
She pulled her hands free from his and turned away, "You don't love me!"  
  
He raised an eyebrow defiantly, "Oh?"  
  
"You only love one thing! Power! You have become what Gozaburo was and you only love your millions and your ability to control another's life! What would you do if I wasn't here to tie you down?You would become exactly like him!!!"  
  
Seto turned, and, in a fit of rage, put his fist through the wall. He reached out, and grabbed her arm roughly, his eyes blazing with an ice-cold flame.  
  
"Don't you EVER compare me to him! He was a heartless, gripping old man, and I'll be damned if my own girlfriend thinks I'll ever end up like that!!"  
  
"But you have!" Her eyes were pleading, and she could feel the hot tears forming behind her eyes. She wouldn't cry. She could never let herself cry, not now, "Seto, its not too late! You don't HAVE to BE like him! Don't you see? Just tell me you love me. Tell me we'll get through this. Tell me your money hasn't replaced me in your heart."  
  
He paused and let go of her arm, "I love you."  
  
She stared into his eyes and finally had to tear her own away, "But you won't stay with me."  
  
His eyes were questioning, and they seemed to be pleading for answers.  
  
"You want to become something, and I don't blame you. And your need to do that is more important than us. I can't be what you need. But I'll miss you, Seto Kaiba. I'll really miss you." She turned away and began to stare at the tiny Christmas tree. Seto reached out, and almost touched her. And then, his brought his hand back to his side, and walked out the door. She dissolved into tears.  
  
Now, Seto stood with the "Ghost of Christmas Past" and closed his eyes, leaning back against the wall. Why had he walked away?  
  
Me: Another kinda depressing chapter, sorry. Next chapter: "Ghost of Christmas Present" and Christmas Party at Yugi's!  
  
Seto: And she knows its past Christmas. We're hoping to just get this out for New Year's.  
  
Me: After all, most of you don't throw your tree out until then, right? But anyway, hope you liked and please review. 


	6. God Bless Us, Everyone

Me: Sorry. I suck. I know all of this is getting to you after Christmas, but a lot of you reviewed saying you'd still read. So. yeah.  
  
Seto: Don't be depressed. After all, you're going to put up your new wall scroll today! *does cheesy grin*  
  
*My wall scroll has Seto on it, in case you didn't notice*  
  
Me: Oh yeah! Okay, I've got the power to go on!  
  
Seto: I'm just cool like that!  
  
Me: *rolls eyes* PS Sorry the writing in the last chapter sucked.  
  
  
  
  
  
CHAPTER SIX  
  
"God bless us........ Everyone." -A Christmas Carol  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Seto woke, and realized that he was once again, alone in his room. He opened his eyes, their shocking-blue color piercing the night. They were still icy from his tears, tears that stained his cheeks and left a salty pool of remorse upon his pillow. He sighed, placing a hand over his painfully brilliant eyes, and calmed himself by breathing harshly for a few minutes. The sobs that wracked his insides subsided to a low, dull ache. God, he had loved her.  
  
When he opened his eyes, he almost felt relieved. Why he had called her, he didn't know. Where she was now, he didn't care. But the scars would always remain, no matter how hard he had tried to forget. When he had watched her, so young, and yet so old, falling into her tears and misery, all he had wanted was to reach out and touch her. But when he had tried, his hand had gone right through her. Was she the ghost or was he?  
  
Seto stood, groping about his dark bedroom in silence. He blinked slowly, and just as his eyes began to adjust to the darkness, a light came on in the parlor downstairs. He groaned and walked blindly toward the staircase. He fumbled into the parlor and looked around. The room was exactly how it should be. The dying embers of the fire burned into oblivion. The wall clock ticked with the rhythm of a funeral drum. The pictures hanging from the wall stared down at him. The television was off. The room was normal, yet bright. Seto blinked.  
  
Suddenly, he heard a voice that made him jump. Then cringe.  
  
"Hello, Kaiba-boy!"  
  
He didn't want to turn around. Please, God, don't let it be who he thought it was. But there was really no kidding himself. Who else would it be? He turned around and saw the shameless, grinning, red-suit-wearing, soul- stealing, grimy, disgusting excuse for a former partner, Maximilion Pegasus. Seto said the first thing that came to mind.  
  
"How did you get in my house?"  
  
Pegasus laughed, "I'm a spirit! I can do anything!"  
  
"Oh, GOD!" Seto put his hands over his eyes in pure frustration, "Who are YOU supposed to be?"  
  
Pegasus stood up straight, and held out his hand, "I am not who you know me as. I am the Ghost of Christmas Present!"  
  
Seto groaned again, "I don't need this."  
  
"Oh, I believe you do, Kaiba-boy!" giggled the "Ghost of Christmas Present".  
  
"Please... Please don't call me that." Seto looked over at the "Ghost", ready to face his punishment.  
  
The "Ghost" shrugged. Then his eyes lit up like a school girl's, "Well! Are you ready to see the Christmas... OUT THERE!" He gestured dramatically to the window.  
  
"Sure. Fine. Lets just get this over with." Seto rubbed his eyes and blinked.  
  
"Have you been crying Kaiba-boy?"  
  
"NO! And I asked you not to call me that!"  
  
"Oh. Sorry."  
  
"What did I do to deserve this?"  
  
The "Ghost" smiled, "I'll show you!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Seto was suddenly somewhere he didn't recognize. But he recognized the people there, all right. Standing in his bathrobe, he felt a bit embarrassed and attempted to inch behind the Christmas tree.  
  
The "Ghost" laughed, "Don't worry! They can't see you!"  
  
"Oh." Seto came back to the "Ghost's" side and suddenly felt a shiver go up his spine. It was almost as if.... the "Ghost" had been... reading his mind. He turned in stared in horror at the "Ghost of Christmas Present". The "Ghost" pulled back his hair, revealing the Millennium Eye, and winked. Seto shuddered. Didn't someone steal that from him?  
  
His thoughts were cut short as he heard the door bell ring, and a timid shuffling of feet. His upper lip curled in disgust as he watched Yugi Motou skip over to the door, and open it proudly.  
  
"Joey! Tristin! Come on in!"  
  
"Hey, Yuge!" Joey ruffled Yugi's hair, and Tristin, in his haste to get inside and away from the snow, ran in and knocked Joey flat on his butt.  
  
"OW! What the hell is wrong with you, Tristin?!" Joey stood up and grimaced.  
  
"Now, now guys." Yugi, the voice of reason, spoke above the feuding friends, "Lets not get in an argument the minute we set foot in the door, okay?"  
  
Seto rolled his eyes, and sneered.  
  
"What's wrong, Kaiba-boy?"  
  
"Yugi's just so sickeningly kind and sweet to everyone. And also the peace maker. He's a waste of space.... and I told you to stop calling me that!"  
  
The "Ghost of Christmas Present" shrugged innocently. Seto shivered.  
  
"Okay, is everybody here?" Yugi grinned a mile wide, enjoying his little get-together very much. He cared about all of his friends so dearly and he could not ask for more by having them all under one roof on Christmas. This was the best gift he could have received.  
  
"Almost," Joey went back outside, and emerged from the car with a young girl clinging to his side.  
  
"Is that Serenity?" Mai Valentine, having a glass of punch, stopped short in her conversation with Tea Gardener and pointed at the timid thirteen- year-old. The girl looked up at her and smiled sweetly.  
  
"Yes. And you must be Mai," she bowed slightly in courtesy, "I have heard so much about you from my brother." Joey's ears went pink. Mai covered her mouth with her fiery red nails.  
  
"Is that so?"  
  
Serenity nodded, and then gazed upward at her much-taller sibling, "May I have a glass of punch?"  
  
"Sure, Serenity," Joey eased her the tiniest bit in the direction of the punch bowl. Yugi, Mai, and Tea crowded around Joey instantly.  
  
"She's so polite!" Tea gushed, "You must be so proud!"  
  
"Yeah, Joey," Yugi grinned, "She's very well behaved."  
  
"Yeah, she's great," Joey's smile faltered a tiny bit, and Mai put a hand on his shoulder, encouraging him to explain why he was upset.  
  
"Remember when she got that operation?" Joey attempted a shrug and half- smile but his face showed a mirror of soft despair, "Well, it didn't work out like we had hoped. It was supposed to fix her for good, but she's going blind again. And I don't have enough money to get her a second operation... she's the only family I have left in the world."  
  
Mai tilted her head to the side, sympathetically. Tea's eyes welled with tears. Yugi's bright violet irises doubled in size.  
  
Seto crossed his arms in the back of the room, watching the everyday display of human tragedy, "What are they so upset about? She'll be okay; she just won't be able to see anymore. That's not so bad."  
  
The "Ghost of Christmas Present" looked at him for a minute, pondering something and then turned away.  
  
There was a knock on the door, and a young boy ran inside, his dark hair sprinkled with snow as thick as powdered sugar. The boy scampered over to Yugi, and shook his hand eagerly, also cradling a bag of potato chips under one arm. Yugi couldn't have been more pleased and shook Mokuba's hand almost as excitedly.  
  
"Mokuba! So glad you could make it! We haven't seen you in awhile. Is your brother coming?"  
  
Seto stared, wide eyed, at his younger brother, whom he had specifically restricted from coming to the party. He looked to the "Ghost" for help, but only received a sly smile and a signal to stay quiet.  
  
Mokuba untied his scarf and looked icily into Yugi's giant purple irises, "No, Seto is at work. He chose not to come." Mokuba's solemn face was a complete image of the older Kaiba's, cold, hard, and distant.  
  
Seto saw this, and was taken aback. He stared at the boy, feeling guilt beyond belief for the small mirror of his own coldness in his brother's eyes. The "Ghost of Christmas Present" tilted his head to one side questioningly, and whispered,  
  
"Is something wrong, Kaiba?"  
  
"Oh, It's just.... I wish I hadn't been so hard on him earlier. Or so cold around him.... ever."  
  
Yugi, in an attempt to lighten up the festivities, brought out glasses of punch for everyone, and raised his high in the air,  
  
"To Seto Kaiba!"  
  
Seto raised his head and his eyes grew three times their normal size.  
  
"What?" Joey asked, crinkling his nose.  
  
"To Seto Kaiba, if he were here, we would welcome him with open arms, but he could not make it tonight, so a toast to him!"  
  
"Oh I wish he was here!" Tea stepped forward, next to Yugi, her face sour and displeased, "I would give him a piece of my mind!"  
  
"A-MEN!" Mai raised her glass and began to drink to Tea's words.  
  
All the way in the back of the room, unbeknownst to the rest of the guests, Seto Kaiba turned away from them, his confidence and heart truly bruised. The "Ghost" reached out and grabbed him by the collar of his robe, and yanked him back to his position beside the tree.  
  
"Come on, guys, its Christmas!" Yugi was still trying to save his dying message of good cheer, "After all, he has helped us in the past, even though he doesn't like to admit it, and we have helped him as well... even... though... he doesn't... like to admit it."  
  
"Yeah, okay, Yuge," Joey lifted his glass, "I drink to the worm, just because we're in your house at your party, and you don't want to have anybody mad on Christmas," He took in a deep, mocking breath, "And Seto Kaiba's out there, sitting in his mansion, eating his roast turkey for dinner, having a very merry Christmas, I have no doubt!" Everyone drank their punch politely, until a small voice broke the silence.  
  
"Yugi's right you guys," Seto looked up at little Serenity Wheeler, her amber eyes fixed so intensely on all the others in the room, "After all, he can't be all bad. He raised Mokuba into a sweet young man," Seto watched intently as her eyes fell on his brother, and Mokuba's ears turned pink.  
  
"He must be something more than what you all treat him as. Christmas is a time for understanding your fellow man, and treating him with courtesy. We should remember this, now, more than ever."  
  
There were warm smiles from everyone in the room, and Mai, the usual vivacious flicker returning to her violet eyes, raised her glass.  
  
"God bless Seto Kaiba!" There was mild laughter.  
  
"God bless us," Yugi grinned, his own face lighting up with joy.  
  
Serenity smiled and held up her glass of punch, her voice the sweetest and softest, but her words the strongest of all, "God bless us... Everyone."  
  
Seto stared at the young girl and the faces she received after this comment. He turned to the "Ghost of Christmas Present" and asked him softly, "Is she worse off then I think?"  
  
The "Ghost of Christmas Present" looked over at Seto, his eyes flickering with a strange sympathy for his fellow man, "The girl is not only going to lose her eyesight. She is also very sick. Visions tell of a child lacking the ability to see. But then, I glimpse an empty seat at a dinner table, and a room, untouched, that none will dare enter. If these shadows remain unaltered, she will not only lose her sight, but die as well."  
  
Seto turned away from him then, and focused his attention on Joey, the hopeless dog. The blond and brainless wonder still made him laugh; his pathetic attempts to be cool had always brought a pitying smile to Seto's lips. He had always been such a lowly dog. And, yet, finding out how hard his life really was, made Seto reconsider Joey's character. Seto tried to imagine losing Mokuba, his only living relative. He loved him dearly and he didn't want to know what it was like to be torn from your only family. He sighed, finally understanding a person whom he never thought he would give more than a second look.  
  
"Come," The "Ghost of Christmas Present" led Seto out the door, "My time grows short."  
  
Seto followed obediently, and then, once they had reached the frozen streets, grabbed the "Ghost's" arm and said, "I never knew how hard life can be for some."  
  
The "Ghost" grinned, and bowed to Seto, "Then your training is half complete. Goodbye, Kaiba-boy, and have a good time with the Ghost of Christmas Future!"  
  
Seto's eyes grew in size once more, "There's another ghost?"  
  
"Yes," The "Spirit" mused, "And he is dying to meet you!"  
  
And with that the "Ghost of Christmas Present" left Seto standing alone in the snow, the young man's face untrusting and slightly frightened by the spirit's last words.  
  
Me: Okay. I thought the last chapter sucked, but THAT, THAT just S-U-C-K, SUCKED!!!! I'm not usually a person to put down my own work, but WOW!!! That was not so good!  
  
Seto: She had really bad writer's block back there, and everyone was demanding the next chapter so here it is.  
  
Me: And I'm not happy with it!! It sucks! So there you go! You rush me; You get CRAP! And BOY was that chapter not fun to write!  
  
Serenity: WHY AM I TINY TIM?!?!?!? HE'S A GUY!!! HIS NAME IS TIM! AND. HE'S TINY!!!  
  
Me: Oh, would you chill. I couldn't give the part to Yugi, cause he's not young enough. And I can't give it to Mokuba. So, there you go.  
  
Serenity: But I DON'T WANT TO BE TINY TIM!!!!!!!!  
  
Me: Tough noodles. My mind's made up.  
  
Yami Bakura: *whispering* She's just mad because of the Serenity/Seto rumors.  
  
Me: DAMN STRAIGHT!  
  
All: *sweat drop*  
  
Seto: Don't worry. She's, like, ten.  
  
Serenity: I'm thirteen!  
  
Seto: Tomato, tamato.  
  
Me: Hee hee! *to Serenity* Ya hear that, Miss Thing! He doesn't like you! Ha ha! *sticks tongue out*  
  
Serenity: *slow burn*  
  
Seto: *puts arm around Me, just to mess with my brain* Please read and review!  
  
Me: *heehee**Uncontrollable glomp* 


	7. Into the Open Grave

Me: Okay, a lot of my reviewers have told me to stop beating myself up about my sucky writing. So I'll try to stop. Sorry.  
  
Seto: She's self-conscious.  
  
Me: Am not!  
  
Seto: Look at you! You're constantly apologizing!  
  
Me: I am? Sorry.  
  
Seto: See!  
  
Me: Okay. Sorry.  
  
Seto: Would you just stop?  
  
Me: Uhm... Alright. I need a therapist. If anybody can find me a good head doctor, please, PLEASE, send him or her here!  
  
Seto: I can analyze you.  
  
Me: Really?! You can!? Okay, what's wrong with me?  
  
Seto: You're crazy!  
  
Me: *slow burn*  
  
Seto: Oh, I'm just kidding! *hugs*  
  
Me: Yeah, whatever... Please enjoy the story while I take an aspirin and look for a good shrink. Chow!  
  
  
  
CHAPTER SEVEN  
  
  
  
"Am I in the presence of the ghost of Christmas yet to come?" said Scrooge.  
  
The spirit answered not, but pointed onward with his hand.  
  
"Ghost of the Future!" he exclaimed, "I fear you more than any other specter I have seen."  
  
  
  
  
  
A few blocks away from Yugi Motou's Christmas party, standing in the snow, Seto Kaiba shivered. He had not noticed the silver Eclipse pull up to Yugi's house. He also had not noticed Ishuzu slip out of it, and casually step through the front door. Besides, what would he have said if he did?  
  
Suddenly, the cold hit him much harder and he braced himself against the sharp wind, wincing slightly. Trying to find the slightest bit of warmth, he yanked his bathrobe tighter around him, and continued to shiver. As if on cue, every street lamp went out and he was plunged into silvery darkness. It took him a minute to realize that he could still see his hand in front of his face. He then got the feeling that he was being watched. Tentatively and almost unwillingly, he turned to face the third spirit. The "Ghost of Christmas Future".  
  
Who would it be? He smiled to himself slightly, trying to lighten the mood by imagining the spirit that frightened him the most as only one of Pegasus's troublesome goons. He could take one of them down in three seconds flat. He looked up, and it became immediately aware that the third specter was not one to cross.  
  
The "Ghost" was tall, cloaked in black, a large hood covering his face. Seto squinted, trying to see if it was one of those losers who entered the Battle City Tournament. Rare hunters, they had called themselves. But this was not one of those men. The being standing before him did not have to eye incrusted upon his hood, and looked more dead than alive. Seto knew the answer to his question, but he asked anyway,  
  
"Are you the spirit whom I am to meet?"  
  
The "Ghost" said nothing.  
  
Seto nodded, "Alright, then. Why don't we get this over with?"  
  
The "Ghost" pointed to the street, and beckoned Seto to walk forward. The young man obliged, and stepped out of the snow. He saw a faint light on in Yugi Motou's house, and after blinking once, appeared back in the warm living room.  
  
He smiled a little to himself, eager to see what everyone was up to, as he did expect this to be a few years in the future. But, immediately, he noticed that the usual warm atmosphere was clouded and cold with despair.  
  
Yugi stepped into the room, and most of the guests looked up from their punch. Tea crossed the room, and put a hand on Yugi's shoulder. He smiled timidly, and covered her hand with his.  
  
"Is he coming?" Tea's voice was hopeful and pleading  
  
Yugi sighed softly, and answered,  
  
"Yes. He's not feeling too well, though. Lets try to get him in the spirit..."  
  
Mai nodded and stared intently into her glass of punch. Ryou Bakura looked around the room, sadness glittering in his intense, coca-dusted eyes. Tristin swallowed softly and became engrossed in the carpet, shuffling his feet across it silently.  
  
Seto was confused. Where was the celebration? Where was the good cheer? Where was the laughter and fun and friendship? Where... where was Wheeler?  
  
Then it dawned on him and he turned to look at the "Ghost",  
  
"Oh, please. Don't tell me that she-"  
  
He was promptly cut off by a muffled knock on the front door. Yugi shuffled across the room to get it, taking in a deep breath and putting on a smile first.  
  
"Hey, Joey!"  
  
Joey stepped through the door, and forced his lips into a semi-grin,  
  
"Hey, Yuge. What's goin' on?"  
  
Tea stepped into the doorway, and took Joey's hand,  
  
"Oh, Joey-"  
  
"Naw..." Joey put his other hand in the air to show that he was alright, "I'm fine." He crossed the room as the others followed. He turned to face his friends and gave another weak smile,  
  
"I went to see where they're going to bury her, right by a lake. She always loved to feed the ducks there, when she was little," He laughed a little and wiped his nose, "I really think she will love it there. That way, I can visit her everyday. That way... I can always be there for her..." He attempted to smile one last time, but something inside him broke, and instead, his eyes welled with tears.  
  
"Oh Serenity! My poor little sister!" He buried his head in his hands, and Mai threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. Neither of them noticed that they were showing a kind of feeling for each other that they had always been afraid to admit. Everything was just too much for anyone to notice. Tea began to sob, and Yugi held her. Tristin and Ryou smiled blankly and tried to keep their emotions in check.  
  
Seto turned away, and looked at the "Ghost".  
  
"Please. I don't want to see any more. Take me home."  
  
The "Spirit" did not speak but merely pointed.  
  
Seto turned his head in this direction, but was surprised to see another scene, a few more years in the future, of all these same people. Joey was grinning, and Seto felt a part of himself brighten to see the boy smile. Mai was perched on the edge of the blonde boy's chair, and she covered her own lips, hiding a mischievous grin. Tristin threw his head back and laughed. Ryou chuckled, and Tea sighed.  
  
Joey sat up, ready to deliver the punch line, "So then the Rabbi says to the polar bear... 'Oh, yeah?! Says YOU!'" Everyone laughed. Seto felt himself smile again, and he crossed his arms, his spirit lifted by the laughter of others.  
  
Yugi entered the room, and placed a tray of finger sandwiches on the small table. He sat, wedged between Tea and Tristin, and meekly stated,  
  
"Did you all hear... about his death, I mean."  
  
Tea nodded and reached for a sandwich, "Yeah. I always knew his deceitful ways would kill him... I just never expected it to be so soon."  
  
Joey nodded, and shrugged, "Well, what're ya gonna do? I guess this teaches all of us that money doesn't make ya happy!"  
  
Seto snorted. What would he know about wealth and misery? The young billionaire shrugged, his mind answering his own question. He then began to wonder who they were all talking about. Turning to look at the "Ghost of Christmas Future", he asked,  
  
"Who died?"  
  
The "Ghost" continued to stare at the friends, so Seto gave up asking.  
  
Ryou blinked and stared at his tiny sandwich, "I still can't believe he would go to that kind of extreme, though. Suicide is a very frightening subject. He must have been worse off then we all imagined."  
  
Tristin shrugged, "I guess. I wonder how his brother's taking it."  
  
Seto looked up. Who were they talking about?  
  
Tea rolled her eyes, and bit into her sandwich, "Oh, he'll probably end up just like the other one. It's a shame."  
  
Ryou scanned the faces of his friends, "Yes. And for him. To die so young."  
  
Mai nodded, "Twenty-five, I think."  
  
"Who'd he leave his money to?" Joey asked casually, after handing Mai another sandwich.  
  
Tea shrugged, "Definitely not me."  
  
Yugi spoke softly, and smiled, "Not to any of us, if that's what you mean."  
  
"Probably to the brother," Tristin said, "He's sixteen now, right?"  
  
"Something like that."  
  
"Is anyone going to his funeral?" This question came from Tea, who was picking her nails nonchalantly. There was dead silence.  
  
"It was a waste," Ryou finally picked up his tiny sandwich and stared at it, "I mean, we knew him."  
  
"Well, I'm glad we don't have to know him anymore!" Joey laughed, "He's dead, so the world finally doesn't revolve around him!" Everyone chuckled and even sensitive Ryou let a smile light up his face. When the laughter had subsided, Mai looked skeptically over her glass of coke, and asked,  
  
"Has anyone seen Ishuzu in a while?"  
  
Everyone shrugged.  
  
"I wonder how she took it."  
  
Seto frowned. Who was this dead guy that everyone seemed so happy to be rid of? Why would Ishuzu care about him? Seto turned to look at the "Spirit" but was only beckoned forward once again.  
  
He saw Ishuzu, sitting on a couch, her face lit up with a loving smile. Seto blinked. When they had been together, she had smiled like that, just for him. But now... she was smiling at another man, one whom Seto did not recognize. The man was tall, and had soft, coffee-colored hair. He wrapped a protecting arm around the slender Egyptian girl, and whispered into her hair,  
  
"I love you."  
  
"I love you." Her lips formed the words in return. She reached an arm around his broad shoulders and placed her lips to his. Seto finally turned away, wincing, when he saw the diamond ring on her finger.  
  
He hadn't turned back to her, until he felt a chilling wind whip through him. He opened his electric, ocean-blue eyes, and stared at where he was. Tombstones littered the snowy ground. One or two old trees grew among the graves, and there was a thick metal gate keeping him inside. He turned to look at the "Ghost", as the fog lifted from his eyes, and he was able to see.  
  
"Oh, Spirit! I understand! I can be a good person! I was so wrong! Please! I can change!"  
  
The "Spirit" pointed toward a grave, caked in ice, and without love or roses. The grave was open, fresh, and the casket lay inside, covered with snow. A shovel was lying nearby, obviously showing that the gravedigger had left, and would finish the job in the morning. Seto looked back at the "Ghost" and shook his head.  
  
"Please! No..."  
  
The "Specter" continued to point. Seto closed his eyes, and stepped forward, and, standing at the lip of the grave, brushed away the snow. The large, black letters, shimmering with ice, brought him to his knees.  
  
SETO KAIBA  
  
He crawled to the "Ghost" and grabbed the edge of its robes.  
  
"Please! I can change! Just let me change! I promise, I'll be good to people! And stay kind! And be a good man! I don't want to die! Please!"  
  
The "Spirit" said nothing.  
  
Seto grew angry, and stood, "SPEAK!" He shook the "Specter" and finally yanked back its hood.  
  
" He shook the "Specter" and finally yanked back its hood.  
  
Yami Yugi stared back at him, smiling wickedly as lightning struck the great fence behind him. Seto stumbled backward, lost his footing, and tumbled backwards into his own grave. Yami threw his head back and laughed, as Seto continued to fall. Suddenly, the young man was inside his own casket, and began to bang on it harshly.  
  
"NO! PLEASE! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"  
  
He could hear only his own screams, Yami's wild laughter, and the sound of dirt falling on top of his tomb.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Seto: Damn. Scary stuff.  
  
Me: *shrug* Hey, that's Charles Dickens for you. Hey, Setorulez, hope you like the "Ghost of Christmas Future". Also, I almost had him being cremated, but that was just TOO "Scrooged"! Even though this isn't the last chapter, I wanted to thank the reviewers. Lady Shriannan Santrea, Echo Druid, Saki, Earth Star, Ori, setobsessed, Setorulez, and my first few, Daricio, Fantasizer, Katharine, Olivia and Meredith! *Phew!* Did I get everybody?  
  
Seto: You all mean so much to her! *gushes, making fun* SHE'D LIKE TO THANK THE ACADEMY!  
  
Me: *push* Thanks, all, for giving me the drive to finish this chapter.  
  
Thanks to all of you, telling me I don't suck!  
  
Thanks to Echo, for telling me that my story was up there with the Muppet Christmas Carol! YAY!  
  
Thanks to Setorulez, for seeing the "Scrooged"-ness in my story!  
  
Thanks to Cammie, for impersonating the DALAI LLAMA!  
  
Thanks to Katharine, for saying Mrs. Dancy would be proud of my story! (Not bloody likely, but still a nice gesture!)  
  
Thanks to Ori, for sending me those SetoXIshuzu pictures! ^^  
  
Thanks to Saki, Earth Star, setobsessed, Daricio, and Fantasizer for your constructive criticism!  
  
Thanks to Meredith for always listening to the stupid fic over the phone, even though she's got way better things to do!!  
  
Thanks to Kazaa, for providing the music!  
  
And-  
  
Seto: *grabs her to stop her before she goes insane* And thanks to the creators of Yu-Gi-Oh! Without them, wonderful me would cease to exist!  
  
Me: Oh yeah! And thanks to Seto, for shutting me up when it was needed and always being there to glomp!  
  
Seto: *grin*  
  
Me: Until the very last chapter (hopefully, the next one) GOODNIGHT EVERYONE! 


	8. Christmas Morning

Me: *deep breath* Okay. Its time to finish this... once and for all.  
  
Seto: How dramatic! Strings swell  
  
Me: *rolls eyes* Also, on my list of thanks, I forgot to mention Olivia; thanks for luving the Seto, the Tom, and, how could we forget, the Pistachios! And to Meredith, who introduced me to Yu-Gi-Oh!, as well as giving me the courage to like all anime! Yay!  
  
Seto: Are you done?  
  
Me: Hee... I guess.  
  
Seto: You know, before I forget, I noticed a lot of you favoring Ryou in the last chapter  
  
Me: What? You think I have a crush on RYOU?!  
  
Seto: Please! Like "Coca dusted eyes" isn't a dead giveaway!  
  
Me: Aww.... Are you jealous?  
  
Seto: Erm...  
  
Me: Hee hee hee.... You know I wouldn't choose him over you. Yami on the other hand....  
  
Seto: *is horrified*  
  
Me: You're so gullible! ^^ *glomp*  
  
Seto: Erm... roll the film.  
  
Me: Please, sit back, relax, and enjoy the VERY LAST CHAPTER (phew!) Of A YU-GI-OH! CHRISTMAS CAROL!  
  
  
  
  
  
CHAPTER EIGHT  
  
  
  
  
  
"Yes! and the bed-post was his own. The bed was his own. The room was his own. Best and happiest of all, the time before him was his own, to make amends in!"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Seto stirred, his forehead drenched in cold sweat, his hands shaking. Immediately, he sat up, breathing heavily, and staring around the empty room. When he saw where he was, his bedroom, his very own room, he could not have been in more bliss.  
  
Suddenly, the young man jumped out of bed and onto the cold floor. His eyes darted about the room, the ice they had once carried melted, and now clouded with the sparkling sea and the vast, blue sky. He rubbed his hands together and chuckled.  
  
"Ha! I'm alive! I'm alive!!!!!" He began to dance around the large bedroom without the aid of music. Seto had never been much of a spontaneous dancer, but this was different. He began to sing with the tapping of his feet, as well.  
  
"I'maliveI'maliveI'maliveI'maliveI'maliveI'malive..... I'M ALIVE!!!!! Woo- hoo!" He jumped back into his bed and laughed with glee.  
  
"Hehheh... I've gone insane." His highly acute sense of hearing then picked up the sound of the front door opening, then closing quietly shut. Seto gasped.  
  
"Mokuba."  
  
He leaped out of bed and sped down the stairs. As soon as his brother's messy mop of hair was in view, Seto screeched to a halt, and began to step down the stairs slowly. Mokuba gulped, hearing his brother coming closer, and turned to feel the older boy's wrath.  
  
"Mokuba."  
  
"Seto, listen, let me explain! I wanted to go out and have a good time! You know, a REAL Christmas! With other people, and food, and friends! Please don't be mad at me! I'm sorry!"  
  
Seto stepped down the stairs, until he was standing across from the younger boy. He kneeled down, so that he was eye level with the boy, and put out his arms.  
  
"Mokuba, come here."  
  
The younger Kaiba paused, not sure what his brother intended to do to him if he got any closer.  
  
"I'm not mad at you, bro. C'mon, give me a hug."  
  
Mokuba blinked, scanning for anger or sarcasm. Once he decided there was none of either, he ran forward and leaped into his brother's arms. The two boys embraced for sometime, and through his laughter, and tears, Mokuba whispered,  
  
"Merry Christmas, Big Brother!"  
  
Seto tore away, to look Mokuba in the eye,  
  
"You-you mean, it's still Christmas? It-It's not over?"  
  
"No!" Mokuba laughed, "Seto you've been working too hard."  
  
Seto shook his head and smiled at the younger boy,  
  
"That I have," He paused, thinking about this, "Mokuba, I'm going to stop by Yugi Motou's house, just to see if they're still having the party.... If I can still join them. Would you like to come with me?"  
  
Mokuba grinned a mile wide, and hugged his brother tight, "Of course, Seto!"  
  
  
  
The older Kaiba shivered under his thick, black trench coat. It sure was cold. Mokuba started giggling, and Seto had to stop and tell him to be quiet. When the brothers had both stopped laughing, Mokuba ran to the other side of the house, as not to be seen. Seto cleared his throat, put on a sour expression, and knocked, hard, on the door.  
  
Yugi Motou came to the door, grinning happily. As soon as he saw Kaiba, his face fell and he turned a pale shade of off-white.  
  
"He-Hey, Kaiba. What brings you here?"  
  
"I caught Mokuba trying to sneak into the house this morning. I stayed up all night, waiting for him. You wouldn't know anything about that would you?" The boy's intense stare stabbed daggers into Yugi's heart. The shorter one shivered.  
  
"Uh... Well... He came by here last night... We had invited the both of you... so... we thought he just wanted to come to the party. He looked kind of upset."  
  
Seto ran his tongue over his teeth, angrily, and crossed his arms, "Well, I only have one thing to say to you, Yugi." Yugi gulped, preparing himself for the worst. And he watched in amazement as Seto's angry, stone face turned into an understanding half-smile.  
  
"Thank you... for taking care of my brother." Yugi stared, and when he realized that Seto seemed completely authentic in his gratitude, Yugi smiled broadly.  
  
"No problem, Kaiba!"  
  
"And... I was wondering... Is it too late... to join the party?"  
  
Yugi laughed, and stood on his toes to pat Seto on the shoulder,  
  
"Of course not! We'd be happy to have you!" At this, Mokuba scampered up from the other side of the house, and smiled at Yugi. The three stepped inside, and Seto brushed the snow off of his coat. He saw Tea, standing in the hallway, and smiled softly at her. After she had stared at him like he was insane for quite some time, she crossed the room, and gave him a hug. It was then that everyone there crowded around him, and he almost felt complete. But something was still missing.  
  
  
  
After a while, Seto stepped into the street to get a minute alone. He looked around the soft, quiet, snow-covered wonderland, and immediately froze on the spot. It was fate. It was her. There she was, getting into her car, pulling her long ebony hair up and over her shoulder, tiny snowflakes dusting it. Her face was turned away from him. But it was her, alright. He knew it was. He felt himself half-smile and begin to run.  
  
How could he have not seen her when he was inside? How could he have missed her? The young billionaire skidded across the ice-covered side walk, and ran as fast as he could, finally reaching her window.  
  
She turned, looking tired but happy, and as soon as her enigmatic, green eyes met his lightning blue ones, her smile faded into a look of amazement.  
  
"Seto?" She rolled down her window.  
  
"Ishuzu" He reached in and cupped his hand around her cheek. She started to say something, but stopped as soon as she saw the look in his eyes. He pulled her forward, everything suddenly feeling so right, righter than it had ever been and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss burned, like the soldering heat that joins metals, warming them both better than any cup of hot chocolate ever would. Somehow, they were able to open the car door, without letting go for long, and he slid into the silver Eclipse with her.  
  
He eased her back against the other window, pressing forward, and managing to lock their lips again. When they finally pried themselves apart, he stared at her, completely spellbound. She was lying back on the two front seats, staring up at him, running her fingers through his hair. He grinned and tightened his grip on her waist.  
  
"Aren't you glad you don't drive a stick-shift?"  
  
She laughed, and beamed, her eyes smiling into his. He let his own grin back at her. And he said the words she had been waiting for all those years.  
  
"You are the one I've always loved. I never should have let you go."  
  
"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" A cheer erupted from as Seto and Ishuzu realized that everyone had crowded around the car. Seto stared out the window. Joey gave him a thumbs-up, and Tristin whistled. Ishuzu turned bright red, and covered her face. Seto sat up, and stepped out of the car. He helped her out, and they both stared at the small crowd for a moment or two. Then she giggled and he grinned, and they both took a bow.  
  
  
  
Seto Kaiba did become a better person that night. He became friends with Yugi and Joey. And Serenity Wheeler, who did NOT die, became a good friend of Mokuba's, and, to Seto, like a younger sister. He purposed to Ishuzu three years later, and has been as good a man as anyone has ever been since that Christmas Eve. So, Seto had learned something. It was to be kind to everyone. But not just on Christmas, but the whole year through. And he kept that knowledge in his heart forever after that. So, as Serenity so well put it,  
  
GOD BLESS US, EVERYONE.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Me: How cliché!!! Hee hee!!!  
  
Seto: *crosses arms* Cute.  
  
Me: Well, that story took forever to write, not to mention all the writer's block that came from it, and the corniness of this chapter, but, all in all, it was pretty fun. Thanks to all the readers!  
  
Seto: Well it looks like everything has finally turned out for the-  
  
Yami Bakura: Hey! Why wasn't I in the story?!?!?!  
  
Me: .......*shrug*  
  
Yami: And I got such a small part!!!  
  
Me: Erm... The cast is restless.  
  
Seto: Aw, don't worry about them. Lets go out to celebrate!  
  
Me: You're so cute!!! ^^  
  
Seto: *grin* I know.  
  
YGO chars.: *Grrrr.... Arrrr....* AUTHOR'S PET!!!!  
  
Seto: *grin*  
  
Me: Well, its finally over! Hope you enjoyed A Very Yu-Gi-Oh! Christmas Carol, and I've gotta go before the other characters kill Seto! Ciao, friends, and Merry Belated Christmas!!!!! 


End file.
